Martin’s performance to date in his first training camp on the left side is causing a bit of a panic in South Florida. Joe Rose of WQAM brought it up today during our weekly Friday morning visit, and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald points out that Olivier Vernon beat Martin three times for sacks on Thursday, a day after rookie Dion Jordan beat Martin twice for sacks.

“I think it’s been going pretty well,” Martin said Thursday, via Salguero. “You have some good days and some bad days out there. My goal is to try to be consistent against a talented D-line. . . . It’s been challenging but I like it. I like going against the best.”

Dolphins fans are hoping that’s the accurate explanation. If Martin is facing the next great NFL defensive line in practice, it would be good news for the defense and not bad news for the offense, especially since Martin won’t see anyone better in real games.

I love how you guys continue to use the Aldon Smith play some sort of indicator of what kind of player Martin will be. Jake Long has been blown up numerous times, including most recently by the now retired Shawn Merriman.

Miami sacked Kap 4 times. Tannehill was sacked twice. So which offensive line was worse?

I believe it’s a mix of his youth and the D’s strength which is the front seven. The O line is going to need the whole camp anf preseason to get up to speed.

Not a time to panic as long as they keep progressing as a unit and improving as individuals.

It’s evident the front seven is our strength so hopefully the experience against them day to day speeds up the O line’s learning curve.

doe22us says:Aug 2, 2013 11:50 AM

Nothing says i am helpless by being layed flat on your butt, anyhow Dolphin fans will convince themselves that this guy will be alright. Dont know much about him, but if that pic and reports are an indication they are in trouble.

finfinatic says:Aug 2, 2013 11:54 AM

Give JMart a break, he’s had 2 weeks of training camp under his belt this year as the starting LT and big shoes to fill.

He protected Andrew Lucks blindside in college so he should be an adequate LT in due time, but because J Long was there last year, he switched to RT for most of the year, I guess it really shows his versatility when a rookie played both starting RT and LT.

There’s no shame getting burnt occasionally from a top 5 Dline in practice, your teammates know you best, and that’s why you practice, to discover/ work on weaknesses you have to try and improve.

I know it’s early, but I honestly never saw Martin as a LT coming out of Stanford. Only saw him as a RT, but time will tell.

myeaglescantwin says:Aug 2, 2013 11:55 AM

first off… you draft LT’s to be the stalwarts of the OL for the next 10 years..

you go out and get a brand new QB,,, then let one of the leagues best walk away for some no name clown …

smart move Miami.
you had the cap room to keep him and make all these acquisitions.

dilberry says:Aug 2, 2013 11:56 AM

Let’s actually play some preseason before the panic button is pressed. It could just be Olivier Vernon and Dion Jordan are just having good camps (which, by all accounts, they are) and no wants to give them credit where credit is due.

Is this the same guy who opened his first NFL press conference with “Hey ya’ll. I once knew a man who farted in a paper bag and it carried him way off, about 7 miles”? Jesus, where do these guys come from???

richndc says:Aug 2, 2013 11:59 AM

Just LOVE that richndc guy, he always makes the best comments!!

getyourownname says:Aug 2, 2013 11:59 AM

Nothing like NFL fans making fandom snap judgments without benefit of actual game experience.

They should have never let Jake Long walk. Not saying Martin is a bust, but Long was still pretty solid as a pass protector. You can never have too many solid offensive linemen.

ubepunkedagain says:Aug 2, 2013 12:00 PM

Jabaal Sheard and Mingo are going to eat this guy up week one. Who’s on the other side? Kruger and Groves with Rubin, Taylor and Bryant along the front. Dolphin fans better pray for the safety of Tannehill going against a formidable attacking front 7 of Cleveland. It could get ugly and send the Dolphins into a tailspin.

Chill peeps.
Long was breaking down and probably won’t finish this season either. He wasn’t worth the huge price tag he was seeking.
The Dolphins FINALLY woke up and started spending money on you know, playmakers not slow linemen.

Martin doesn’t have to be great… just good. Give him some time. Tannehill can roll out and do things to help cover a bit. Early yet.

Long time Dolphin Fan here and I am not panicking. They haven’t played the first game yet, let’s see how things pan out. Maybe Jordan and Olivier are simply the best that Martin will see all year and there will be no need to worry. Maybe Martin sucks and all Dolphin QB’s will finish the year on IR. But right now there hasn’t been 1 snap played in a real game. Maybe we should just simmer down a little, take a deep breath, There, there that’s better. Go Fins!

So the Dolphins claimed to have drafted their future Franchise QB in Tannehill.

But then you’re going to go cheap at LT and risk the neck of your Franchise QB. Not exactly a smart decision by Miami front office people.

It’s training camp and possibly over blown, but come the preseason and regular season, we’ll see if this issue becomes a bigger issue. LT market is pretty dry, so there’s not going to be a backup plan out in FA.

He gave up 2 sacks in 5 games starting at LT last year. I don’t know what all the panic is about. He is facing the best dline in the NFL every day.

Seriously though, Cam Wake is the NFL’s best pass rusher, he’s the most held player in the NFL over the last 2 years is even better than Aldon Smith. Dion Jordan and Vernon are both very good pass rushers. Vernon was extremely efficient last season and Jordan was the best defensive player in the draft. Soliai, Starks and Odrick make the best tackle trio in the NFL and its not even close. Best group in the NFL.

FinFan68 says:Aug 2, 2013 12:14 PM

The offensive line is good enough and the defensive line could be great. Martin will be fine. Even if Long signed Martin would have played the last few games anyway. He doesn’t need to be great–decent will be quite fine

Dolphin fans may give me thumbs down but I watched him at RT versus second teir pass rushers looking greatly overmatched and beat handidly. I’m sure once they seem him lined up against a NFL proven rusher like Wake in practise they will admit there is a problem.

Martin is a bum and I was very disappointed when the fins drafted him. #77 should still be in south beach protecting Tannehill’s blind side. Now his maturation into a solid starter will be hindered as he will be running for his life most of the time.

lightcleric says:Aug 2, 2013 12:26 PM

Wait, all the articles I read here told me the Dolphins were idiots for taking Long over Matt Ryan, but now the Dolphins might miss Long. I’m confused.

gbatap says:Aug 2, 2013 12:28 PM

The stupid thing is the guy would probably make a very good guard. Square peg, round hole.

Hey Jeff, How is that trade You Didn’t pull the trigger on for Brandon Albert looking now? lol

ahostiletakeover says:Aug 2, 2013 12:35 PM

Way to early to judge the guy, its unfair to judge him on one week of training camp. That said, its curious that the Dolphins let Long walk without batting an eye while sitting on all of that free cap space a few months ago. I’m sure Bradford is happy about the circumstances.

I’m pretty sure Miami doesn’t have the best D line in the league. This has got to be worrisome. It’s not that early. Real games start very soon.

hdahs143 says:Aug 2, 2013 12:53 PM

billhicks666 says: Aug 2, 2013 11:54 AM

I know it’s early, but I honestly never saw Martin as a LT coming out of Stanford. Only saw him as a RT, but time will tell.
====================================
He was a LT his entire college career.

But in the mean time, have fun watching KC and Jacksonville use the top 2 picks on the opposite side of the line.

mrbigass says:Aug 2, 2013 1:01 PM

Have to admit it’s an awesome pic……

ashdanielson says:Aug 2, 2013 1:20 PM

I love reading these comments. Jets haven’t swept the Fins in the last 5 or 6 seasons and we’ve had some pretty suspect teams. Inevitable sweep of the Fins this year made me laugh out loud. Not saying Martin’s going to be great but anyone saying the Fins aren’t in the conversation for best D-Line in the league isn’t paying attention.

Firstly, what exactly is a rams nation? What qualification do you need to be a nation? I wouldn’t think you qualify.

Secondly, we know Long must better than you do with watching him during one training “camp.”
He said the same nonsense last season (I’m finally healthy) and broke down yet again. He’ll break down again before the season is over.

Understand that You overpaid for a name only, good luck with that “nation”.

It’s amazing how most of you on here have so much knowledge about the Dolphins. You have no clue, so calm down. Jake Long was hurt for 2 years before he left, and never finished the seasons. That’s why he’s gone, plus he wanted too much money for being hurt. He didn’t play very well last year at all.
No game has been played as far as I know, so just wait and see what happens. If the Dolphins have one of the best DLines, then you can all eat your words. Martin might be working against one of the best so be careful what you wish for!!

Brilliant move Dolphins front office, guess that game of chicken you tried to play with KC just blew up all over you! I’m sure if you called the Chiefs you could still make a deal but AND you won’t have to worry about signing your #1 draft pick next year.

This is huge because if the left tackle struggles than the quarterbacks pants get dirty, and with the rising costs of soap and detergent, I could be tough, ya never know

cavemanna says:Aug 2, 2013 3:57 PM

Wait a second. This guy was projected as a first round pick. He’s got talent . He started his rookie year. There’s going to be growing pains. That said, giving up a few sacks in practice isn’t that big a deal . He played poorly at times and solid at times. He’s hit a decent head on his shoulders . I think he’ll be adequate in the long run. Oh and we didn’t let jake walk . We offered him the same contract as the rams did so simmer down about us letting him walk. He chose to leave.

Those are the worst types of fans….kneejerk panic button pushers that have everything to say when the team is down, but nothing good when there is success. The dolphin fans panicking over this are the same ones that chanted for Kyle Orton , and protested outside the stadium when they passed on Matt Flynn.

The SAME IDIOTS who say “You don’t win a Super Bowl in April” are the SAME IDIOTS who are now saying someone is an inept Left Tackle because of their performance at THEIR FIRST FULL training camp against a projected Top 5 defensive line???

Brian Hartline was hurt all training camp and pretty much missed the entire 2012 off-season…

…and then he became one of only 8 players to catch for over 1,000 yards in Miami Dolphins history last season.

I’d like to see how many LT’s in the NFL can handle the rotation of Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon and Dion Jordan. Let alone in their 2nd season after missing almost all of OTA’s for going to a PAC-12 school. Just like Dion Jordan did. That doesn’t seem to be slowing him down though.

This is PRACTICE. Offensive and Defensive linemen play at about max 50%. It’s a never-ending fist fight in the trenches. You can’t be violent with your teammates. It’s the same reason why Cameron Wake looks like an average Joe in practice then BALLS OUT every Sunday.

I don’t think that martin is that bad I do believe that the dolphin pass rush is that good.
martin was one of the reasons that luck was the #1 overall draft pick and he did pretty well for those few games last year at the end of the season @LT. I think he is going to prove to be adequate and just get better because he is going up against some really strong fast guys that are going to give other teams fits on game day

For all you Missourians who think KC or the Rams have done so great with Long and Sean Smith. You must have chosen to ignore the facts.

Long finished 2012 as the 42nd-ranked offensive tackle in the NFL (PFF) with an overall grade of minus-0.4. He was the 25th-ranked starting left tackle. His pass blocking was barely above water at plus-3.0, but his run blocking was strongly negative, at minus-1.9. Long also committed seven penalties.

Smith ranked as the 76th-best cornerback in the league in 2012, according to Pro Football Focus (he was even worse in 2011, ranking 105th out of 109 cornerbacks).

The Dolphins were 7-9 with them on the team, which is why the Dolphins passed on them. They did beat the Rams last year and crushed the Chiefs 31-3 in 2011 at Arrowhead. The Dolphins were then and will be again, the better team.

did anybody watch jake long the last two years? you might have missed him because he wasnt on the field a lot, but when he was on the field he was horrible. yeah lets pay 9 mil a year to get him back. I cant believe our own fans are bitching because we didnt resign him. what a bunch of idiots. martin will b fine. its the 2nd week of training camp my god. its comical to read some of this stuff. people panic about nothing and also get excited about nothing, it happens every year. just chill out. i use to be the same way, then i grew up.

I am certainly not a Jonathon Martin apologist, but they have only had 11 practices so far and lots of those without pads and the guy next to him has changed constantly through camp as the coaches experimented with the line up. Lets see what he does against other teams pass rush before we all panic and start burning our dolphins swag.

steveccnv says:Aug 3, 2013 9:51 AM

Just stop saying it’s early, Martin’s only had a few practices, he hasn’t played a game yet, Vernon and Jordan may be the best DEs in the league… He’s a big concern right now, anyone that says otherwise is fooling themselves.

It’s been reported that Yeatman was beating up Jordan in practice the other day, has he played a game yet or been in camp longer than Martin.

No one is pannicking yet, from what I’ve read, but the people that seem to have a clue are certainly concerned.

The Aldon Smith play last yr seemed to be more of an off-balance issue, due to his inexperience , than him being weak.

Martin may be fine, and I said right after he got picked that he’d be Jake’s replacement (I agreed with the letting Jake walk), but for now all eyes need to be on these first few preseason games to see how he does.

steveccnv says:Aug 3, 2013 9:53 AM

I didn’t always have this opinion about Martin, until I watched some film of him at Stanford. I’m not sure what our scouting department was looking at, as he had the same issues blocking the speed rushers in college.

jimmymarlinsfan says:Aug 3, 2013 11:37 AM

Dear fans of the browns, chiefs, and rams. Your teams suck and still do. Go away

scorpwood says:Aug 3, 2013 2:05 PM

Not worried about Martin at all, although I do think the Cleveland game will not be the easy win everyone usually expects. Should be an exciting season. And did a Jests fan boast further up in the comments? Seriously? Glad Buttfumble is in command of your team. Biggest joke in the NFL.